The present invention is related to radio frequency (RF) power filters. In particular, the present invention is related to RF power filters for use in plasma processing systems.
Plasma processing systems, such as capacitively coupled plasma (CCP) systems, inductively coupled plasma (ICP) systems, and transformer coupled plasma (TCP) systems, are employed in various industries for fabricating devices on wafers. For example, the industries may include semiconductor, magnetic read/write and storage, optical system, and micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) industries.
A plasma processing system may generate and sustain plasma in a plasma processing chamber to perform etching and/or deposition on a wafer such that device features may be formed on the wafer. The plasma processing system may include an electrostatic chuck (ESC) for supporting the wafer during plasma one or more processing processes. An ESC with zone-to-zone tunable temperature capability may be critical for temperature sensitive plasma processing processes. For minimizing electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) failure, interference issues, and power loss issues that may be caused by RF power transmitted from the ESC and leaked from the plasma processing chamber, an RF power filter may be implemented in the plasma processing system. Such plasma processing systems are disclosed in US Patent Application Publication 2012/0032756, entitled “Radio Frequency (RF) Power Filters And Plasma Processing Systems Including RF Power Filters,” by Long et al., filed in Feb. 9, 2012, which is incorporated by reference for all purposes.